Brand awareness, consumer satisfaction, and market perception all play a big role in a company’s success. Even the death of a key company player can affect a company’s bottom line. In Apple’s case, the death of Steve Jobs, one of the Apple Inc. cofounders, brings more awareness to the company. The death of Jobs hit breaking news status worldwide, bombarding the Internet, news channels, and newspapers for days. With the constant reminders, Apple will remain at the forefront of consumers’ minds for weeks to come. This constant exposure may play to Apple’s favor as its new iPhone 4S debuts in the market less than two weeks after Jobs’ death.
While many people may have been familiar with Apple and its products, many people may not have been so familiar with Jobs. Many may have understood who he was, but they didn’t know much about him. Upon his recent death, however, social media patrons paid tribute to Jobs by posting his quotes. Perfect strangers saluted his dying comments and commended his achievements, naming him an icon. His death brought to light all the things he had accomplished and gave him credit for much of Apple’s success.
Some marketing experts believe that Jobs’ passing will cause Apple’s brand to struggle. They believe that the company placed too much focus on one person. However, impressed by his credentials, his inspirational quotes, and the company’s well-known products, consumers may continue to support the legacy. For those who are just learning about all of Jobs’ achievements and efforts, these consumers may actively pursue Apple products in the future. For those who admired Jobs all along, his passing may inspire them to pay homage by continuing to buy Apple products. Just one day after Jobs’ death, presale orders for the new iPhone 4S reached record numbers at over one million orders. After three days of the iPhone 4S officially hitting the market, consumers bought more than 4 million of them. It will be interesting to see how Apple’s sales continue to fare in the weeks following the death of a beloved inventor and inspirational leader, and whether his passing will negatively or positively affect value for the company in the long term.
